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Sounding ChildhoodMain MenuPart 1: Children's HymnsPart 2: Songs for School and PlayPart 3: Animal Welfare (Bands of Mercy) SongsPart 4: Christmas CarolsPart 5: Folk SongsPart 6: Patriotic SongsPart 7: Early 20th-Century HymnsAbout the AuthorWorks Cited
A website devoted to 19th-century children's music
Children were just as musical as adults during the 19th century, but little has been done to explore their music. Neither was there the capability nor interest in recording nineteenth-century children's songs or their singing.
Yet music for Victorian children was very diverse and captivating. Some of it was used for play (taught by adults, adapted by children, like nursery rhymes and folksongs), much of it was taught in church and school (hymns and school songs), and Christmas carols were sung extensively during the holidays. Some songs were even used politically, like patriotic numbers and those for the animal-rights movement (Bands of Mercy songs).
This academic website attempts to fill this musical void for educational and historical purposes, to capture these songs, some of which haven't been heard for over 120 years. It stems from my research and publications focused on Victorian children's music, and is part of the Sounding Victorian collaborative (est. Dr. Phyllis Weliver, 2016). Since 2015, and in collaboration with colleagues at my institution, Indiana University East, in Richmond, Indiana, I have organized 3 camps, 2 short-term choirs, and now a permanent choir (the Community Choristers) for young people to learn these older songs so that we can hear what children in the 19th and early 20th centuries were singing. It is organized by SEVEN musical genres (go HERE to read how I have organized them).
In our curation of Victorian and nineteenth-century children's music, we have recovered 123 songs for far from the historical record to revive and disseminate for today's societies.
I hope you will enjoy this re-created musical experience, which will allow you to experience the sounds of childhood from another era. As you see by the pictures, even our contemporary children relish re-visiting the Victorian past: feigning photographic seriousness, dressing in period clothes, and of course singing these engaging songs! And I thank them for learning them!
I thank Dr. Jessica Raposo, Director of Music, Indiana University East, for co-leading the first three camps with me, 2015-2019; Ms. Beth South, Library Director, Indiana University East, for rebuilding this scalar-based website in summer 2023; and Dr. Jill Schweitzer, biology professor at IU East, who now accompanies the Community Choristers for all rehearsals and concerts, 2024-present. Thank you to my husband, Dr. Ron Itnyre, for recording all our songs since 2024 and helping with tech for most concerts!
Finally, I thank all parents and singers who have ever sung with us, giving of their time during the summer months or during the year to attend camps and choirs and learn these older songs. I hope it has been as fulfilling for you as for me!
All images and recordings are made with children's and parents' permission; see individual pages for complete listing of names. All material used from this website must credit me, the author, and name the site. For more, see Copyright details.
